Sound Off: David Twohy's Sequel 'Riddick' - So What Did You Think?

Now that you've seen it, what did you think?"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" Returning to theaters is the character Richard B. Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, in the newest Pitch Black sequel titled simply Riddick directed by David Twohy (interview here). Left for dead on a barren planet, Riddick ends up hunted by a bevy of hungry bounty hunters while fending off viscous native creatures. So how is this one? Better than 2004's Chronicles of Riddick or 2000's Pitch Black, or much worse? How is Katee Sackhoff as one of the bounty hunters? If you've seen it, leave a comment with your own thoughts on Twohy's Riddick.

Spoiler Warning:We strongly urge everyone to actually see the film before reading ahead, as there may be spoilers below. We also encourage all commenters to keep major spoilers from the film to a minimum, if possible. However, this is an open discussion from this point on! Beware of spoilers, don't ruin this film!

To fuel the fire, I am a huge Pitch Black fan and was excited to see this, but (as expected) it didn't top that original movie and barely lived up to its entertainment value. This new Riddick movie is admittedly fun, it has some great action scenes, it gets better as it goes on, but it just felt like another exercise in Hollywood regurgitation rather than a genuinely kick ass original sci-fi movie. First things first, the opening 30 minutes of this are very odd, where Riddick bonds with some dog for no real reason. Eventually it starts to pick up, the middle act gets a bit boring waiting for everyone to die, but the final third is awesome. I wish they had spent more time exploring the relationship between Boss Johns and Riddick, but ah well. It's still good fun.

What did you think of David Twohy's Riddick? Awesome sci-fi action or a muddled CGI mess?We will remove any comments that indicate you have not seen the movie, as this area is meant to discuss the film only once you have seen it and can talk about your thoughts. Please keep the comments civilized!

It was a disappointment, They barely talked about Riddick at all. It also seemed very slow. The action was great but it fell short of my expectations.

Jacob Denton

I loved it. It had a little of both worlds. Chronicles and PitchBlack. It felt like a classic adventure movie. This is like sci-fi's Conan the Barbarian. Filled with action and lore. The film was the perfect length too. It was split nicely in half with survival and action. the first half reminded me a lot of Enemy Mine which was cool.
Only thing that I didn't care much for was the ending. felt like it really didn't have anywhere to go. Pitchblack, Dark Fury, and both of the games basically end with him in a spaceship flying off to his next encounter.

TheManWithNoName

Movie fucking rocked! Bring on the Underverse!

Professor_Bedlam

I loved it and had a great time with friends watching it!!!! I can't wait for the next one!!!

Linkfx

Terrible just terrible. C level in every way.

Ryan

I kind of liked the beginning, the dog was a bit over the top in some moments but I understand why they did it in a way. They wanted Sam from I Am Legend, but due to bad animation choices and terrible CGI, they ended up with Scooby Doo.
and lets talk about that CGI by the way, how can they get away with this terrible terrible garbage??? I'm spending wayyyyy too much money to see this in theaters, at least make up for it with some visuals that look better than current day video games!!
other wise, movie had it's moments, especially the line "it matches your nipples"

Jacob Denton

you do know this is an independent film, right? This wasn't on an Avatar budget.

Ryan

Riddick = budget of $38,000,000 (estimated)
Monsters = $800,000 (estimated)
looper = $30,000,000 (estimated)
Chronicle = $12,000,000 (estimated)
the fact that it was an indie film does not excuse the poor animation choices and art direction with the CG work, horribly done.

http://djkento.com/ Kento

yeah and I'd say that Looper and Riddick had about equal levels of awful fake flying motorcycle effects.

some I know just wait for it to come to their library free . Free unless ur late ...

http://djkento.com/ Kento

sounds like you both need to get MoviePass... fuck paying more than a dollar a day to see a movie.

Dominic

lol u make the case for waiting for TV . Or bluray on sale the 1st week ...

http://djkento.com/ Kento

the line of "it matches your nipples" was funny... but the fact it started to make Dahl want to fuck that big dummy was not cool.
Current day video games? What games look that good? Please point them out to me.

http://pandoranage.com/ Dante D'Anthony

"but the fact it started to make Dahl want to fuck that big dummy was not cool" two comments you've made asserting Dahl attraction to Riddick is offensive to you. It's not enough that a hugely attractive and capable character in the film may be a Lesbian, but now she has to live within the Kento Bible of acceptable Lesbian sexual practices and NEVER EVER find herself attracted to a male? How very open minded of you to now create new sexual proscriptions.

http://djkento.com/ Kento

The character doesn't HAVE to do anything, but it's bad writing to assert that she's a lesbian and then suddenly that she wants to fuck and agrees to fuck a man who is a known serial killer and psychopath who she's spent virtually no time talking to, knows nothing about other than he's killed men and women just because he said she was going to.
Not only does it make zero sense and I've never seen a lesbian completely throw away her identified sexuality in less than 24 hours, but it's bad writing.
Sexuality and attraction is fluid and isn't some set in stone thing, but this is ridiculous. Maybe that's how lesbians act in the future, but really it was bad character development. Also I happened to have seen the film with a lesbian friend of mine and if you could have heard her rant after the movie and how offended she was... well... you wouldn't be so snarky.
the LBGTQ community isn't represented enough in film and to simply throw away a characters sexuality to show that riddick is all man is kind of offensive and you alienate a HUGE percentage of your potential audience at that point who don't believe that being gay is a choice. But this movie says that it pretty much is and that if Vin Diesel is one of your choices then you'll probably throw it out the window. See my point? Thanks <3

http://pandoranage.com/ Dante D'Anthony

"but it's bad writing to assert that she's a lesbian and then suddenly that she wants to fuck and agrees to fuck a man who is a known serial killer and psychopath who she's spent virtually no time talking to, knows nothing about other than he's killed men and women just because he said she was going to." Good poionts but you're leaving out a couple things. She DOES know about Riddick-apparently he's famous. Secondly we don't know if she is a Lesbian, in one of the previous films a young girl posed as a boy to avoid sexual harrassment. This is hovering over the plot as a possibility. Thirdly, she is also a little unbalanced regarding violence herself. She repeatedly is violent with people because she doesn't like what they have to say, attacking them at will. So, you are hyperfocused on her sexuality because of one remark, ignoring all other aspects of her character. She is a violent mercenary. Most certainly someone who has taken life herself. In a far future where one can presume the current conservative hostility to the ordinary range of human sexuality has long faded into history.

CHASE21

I gave it a 81. Diesel is always the man. I only have 2 issues. Johns father was way 2 young. The film was not edited properly. To many holes. I LOVE Starbucks. I now have a huge crush on her now

Ya made my point... I enjoyed Knock around guys as well as the pacifier.. Keep in mind this is only my opinion n u Surely are welcome to yours

http://djkento.com/ Kento

Also this is a world where people are frozen when they travel through space. There's a good changes Johns Sr could have been frozen for years for whatever reason and actually be older than his son but appear younger because of that.
Also too many holes? what holes?

fazha

Enjoyable, if a bit cheesy in places. I like that Twohy and Diesel went for a more lean and focused vision, making it much more 'Pitch Black' than 'The Cronicles of Riddick'. I also liked the first half hour or so, which showed Riddick at his most vulnerable, really fighting to survive in a harsh, brutal and unforgiving environment. I agree with a lot of the comments that John's father was wayyyy to young to be who he said he was. I mean, Johns from Pitch Black looked almost the same age as his father in this movie, and that was supposed to be 10 years ago. Unfortunately I don't think this will do much at the box office, and I'd be surprised if we see any more adventures of Riddick, as is planned.

Chris Groves

I personally loved it. As someone who saw Pitch Black in theaters as a little kid, patiently waited 4 years for a sequel, which I also saw in theaters, and who then waited 9 more years for another sequel...I was just happy to get more Riddick. The character is just great, and this was a great 'one-off' in the life of Riddick.
The CGI was very uneven, some shots/creature moments looked superb, while others looked quite off. BUT for a film that had a budget of only $38 million, it was LOADED with visual effects and great production value, a ton more than I expected. You could tell me it had a budget of $100 million, and it wouldn't have floored me. They really stretched their money and put every dollar on screen.. In a world where the cheapest 'summer blockbusters' still cost north of $150 million, pulling off a film like this for under $40 million should be applauded.
The film itself was a return to the roots while also being a film with it's own unique style and approach. It was gritty, it was violent, it was funny. Hell, the entire first 3rd was like a sci-fi 'Man vs Wild' and I found that to be an exceptional concept that they pulled off well. I also love that Riddick got to be the predator again, and that they seemed to have found the value of not having him in every scene. He's a character that is most effective when he isn't around all of the time, so when he shows up, it's a big deal.
I also loved the nods and connections made to the first two films. I think it's great that this is a trilogy where each film is quite different stylistically and each film is a very different type/variety of movie. The thriller, the blockbuster, and the action film.

Chris Groves

Regarding the age of Boss Johns. Well, circa February 2000 when Pitch Black was released, Johns(Cole Hauser) was 25. Riddick takes place 'nearly 10 years' later. The actor playing Boss Johns is 41. So it's off a little bit but not by an insane margin. For all we know Boss had his son when he was young, he could easily have been 15-16. So that would put him at about 50 when Riddick takes place.
These movies DO take place in a sci-fi fantasy world, so assuming Boss Johns simply 'looked good' for 50-55 isn't TOO insane.

http://djkento.com/ Kento

we're also talking about a world with Cryosleep... these people don't age at normal rates because they spend so much time frozen in a bed traveling through space. Johns Sr could be in his 70s or 80s and have spent decades in cryo.

Chris Groves

Exactly, excellent point.

http://djkento.com/ Kento

Was having a really good time but then the whole relationship between Dahl and Riddick became sexual in nature despite her being a lesbian which left me feeling a little sick.

http://pandoranage.com/ Dante D'Anthony

Are you implying it is sick for a Lesbian to have sex with a man, as if there is some rule they can never be attracted to any men ever? This sounds kind of like...well, the same mentality that defines homosexuality as "sick", only now with a twist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7YGEVuJ4mM Carpola

Riddick is so alpha male, he can convince a lesbian who has no attraction to men, to sleep with him, weird.
Did the 'predator pink' comment mean the the actual predator?
Thought it was pretty good, even though it was so over the top and implausible.

http://pandoranage.com/ Dante D'Anthony

Thought it was great, they're building the franchise well.

lewinston

I liked the movie. However, when Dahl, "the strong lesbian archtype" hooked up with Riddick I was like, "way to stick to your principles Dahl".